We had a great hike down to the falls with our dog. The sights were beautiful! I would recommend good footwear for this walk and be prepared for some steep inclines and declines, including down rocky walkways. Also, as we continued past the falls to finish the loop, there was a marker which we followed and basically had to crawl up the side of the mountain (which obviously wasn't the right way but it did have a path so we kept pushing forward). Thankfully it connected to the trail and we were back in business We enjoyed the beautiful, cool weather as we made our way through a mossy, lush forest. The water fountain at the start/end of path wasn't working which was a bummer but we had more water in the car. Pack accordingly. read more

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We stayed at campground 19 with 2 cars and 2 tents. We had a great weekend but was not prepared for how close we would be to other camp grounds. We were probably 10 feet away from our neighbors RV. the camp hosts were very nice. If you want more space for tent camping I would recommend sites 1-8. read more

What a dump. I was shocked that this is a National Park. Whoever runs it needs a new job. The park is in disrepair. The restrooms at the parking area are boarded up and closed - guess where people did their business. Paths are torn up and buried wire is exposed in many areas and is not even outdoor wire. There are two parking areas and someone at the park felt they should close the one behind the guard shack to store two piles of stone. Dump, dump, dump!!!!! read more

The three mile loop is great! Going counterclockwise, you hit the falls at about the one mile mark. read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Hiking Near Me

We did not camp here, but we visited to hike the 1 mile trail to see Crabtree Falls. It was magical and highly recommended! The trails were well manicured and the scenery along the way was absolutely beautiful. The falls were amazing! CRABTREE FALLS The falls are wide and about 70ft high. You can walk right up to the base of the falls on either side. The river at the bottom of the falls is not deep and not too dangerous. You can walk across the river at the base of the falls on the wet stones, but you will get your feet wet, as will as water spray on your clothes hair. Just be careful you don't slip on the wet rocks and fall! There is also a wooden bridge over the river which provides a safer crossing so the falls can be enjoyed from both sides. You MUST cross to other side to view the "money shot" of the falls...get your camera out and get busy with those selfies! THE TRAIL You park your car by the Crabtree Falls campground where the trail starts. It's a 1 mile walk to the falls. It's moderate level difficulty and not recommended for those that have difficulty walking on flat surfaces. The trail is NOT flat. T trail is manicured and supplied with many wooden walkways, and engineered stairs, but there are ample trip hazards, such as roots and slippery rocks. Part of the the path actual passes through some mountain streams that flow down to the river. They are a beautiful part of the walk but also wet and slippery. There is an amphitheater at the start of the walk which makes for a great photo opportunity. The trail appears to include lighting from the start to the amphitheater to support evening performances. I am sure they would be a magical experience. There are many beautiful nature views along the way, tree canopies and tree "tunnels" covering some of the path. There are stairs made from stone found in the area. It really is a nice walk. Once you reach the falls you can choose whether to continue on the same direction to loop back to the campground on a 1.7mile return, or to return back the way you came for a 1mile hike. The 1.7 mile return is categorized as strenuous on the signs. We didn't take it so can't comment, but be aware. The hike to the falls is downhill, although surprisingly not very noticeable until you walk back. You definitely sweat more on the return journey! read more

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DONT FOLLOW GOOGLE OR APPLE MAPS. It's off of blue ridge parkway. Go to the little switzerland hotel area and find the exit for the parkway. turn left on to the parkway from there. Go down about 6 miles and you'll hit Crabtree Falls. I love Crabtree Falls. The hike is beautiful- a bit difficult on the way back up if you don't hike all the time, but not too hard even if you don't. The waterfall obviously is the best part. It's breathtaking every time (this was my third time). It's pet friendly too. It's a must do if you are in the area. The walk is around 30 minutes taking the short route and 45 taking the continuous trail. It's hard to swim or get in the water here due to the high volume of large rocks and no real entrance, but you can still manage to do so if determined enough. It still makes for great pictures. read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Waterfall - Hiking Near Me

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We hired here on New years Day in the cold! It was a tough hike but worth it as the falls were beautiful. The trail was nice, but it could use some maintenance as parts were flooded. The visitors center and amphitheater have been closed since 2013 and are slowly falling apart. They need to tear them down or renovate or reopen them as they really detract from the park. It would also be nice to build some permanent bathrooms instead of port a potties. The hike, however, was enjoyable, not recommended for beginner hikers, though, as it was a bit tough, but nothing to strenuous. If you go in the winter, wear lots of layers as it is ! Hope to come back and camp In the summer. read more

Great park clean well maintained sites with solar or shade-a hidden jewel! We will be back!!

This was a easy trail, I brought my 2 small dogs and they did it in ease. Had to carry them at some parts but other than that it was easy, shaded and beautiful. The water fall is huge, you can splash in it but be careful since there's a lot of sharp rocks. read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Happy us - Hiking Near Me

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Great hiking! two different routes - beautiful home and then the bonus - the falls! Just lovely.

Crabtree Falls is a beautiful cascade in the Asheville area. The falls can be accessed via a 2.5 miles round trip hiking loop, which is moderate on the way down and strenuous on the way back up. The falls are among the most photographed in NC -- if you're willing to scramble across some wet rocks (be sure you are wearing the right footwear for this hike), you can get incredibly close to them. The campground at the entrance to the trail looks very nice and appeared to be nearly full when we were here in early summer. Overall a great hike that is easily accessible via the Parkway. read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Hiking Near Me

A bit out of the way, but worth it if you're ready for moderate hike uphill when returning. The trailhead is at the edge of the campgrounds. The parking lot is right off the road and the campground is closed for the winter season (I visited in March), but you're still able to walk through the campgrounds to the trailhead. There were only one or two other parties there at the same time as me, and I hiked on a Monday at 4PM in March. Just be smart about the conditions and you'll be okay. Since the campgrounds were closed, I'm not sure if there were any restrooms open. Just a heads up! Once you follow the signs to the trailhead, the trail is a downhill trek. Not too steep that it hurts your knees, but it's not as maintained as the Catawba Falls trail. A little rockier and narrower. There are also some areas where you need to go down some wooden steps. Luckily, there's a handrail for you. Since I was the only one on the trail, I doubted how nice the falls were going to be. Once I actually made it to the falls, it was surprisingly magnificent and a few stories tall. There's a nice bridge to go over the water with a bench to face the falls. There's also plenty of rocks surrounding the falls for people to sit or get a better angle for a picture. Now, you have the choice to either continue on the path to make a loop or go back on the trail you came on. The pro about going back is that it's half as short as the other way. The con is that it's rocky and a constant incline the whole way back. I always curse how out of shape I am since I have to stop a bit along the way, but the whole trip was less than 2 hours roundtrip. read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Crabtree Falls - Hiking Near Me

The hike to Crabtree Falls is about 1.5 miles from the parking area by the road. I found it to be a moderate downhill hike on the way to the falls. There were some gently sloping sections through the forest and a steeper, rockier, and muddier section coming down the embankment near the falls. Once you arrive, there is a wooden bridge across the river at the bottom of the falls. Directly at the bottom of the falls there are large rocks that you can scramble across and stand on if you want to get really close. Crabtree Falls itself is a gorgeous waterfall and it was flowing heavily on the day I was there. It's about a 70 foot drop down a rock wall, not a drop off a ledge. The rapids just past the bridge are also really cool. It's absolutely worth the hike. You can turn around and go back the way you hiked in or do the loop. I opted for the loop which makes it a slightly longer hike back. I figure it's always nice to see something new instead of going back the same way. The initial climb after leaving the falls is really steep and can be strenuous. Once you get to the top of the embankment, it's pretty flat the rest of the way back. Part of the hike is along the river that creates the waterfall and there are some very scenic spots if you step off the trail towards the water. I definitely recommend hiking to the waterfall. At the end of October on a weekday afternoon when I was there, it was quiet and peaceful with only a handful of other people. I can't speak much about the campground since it was both closed for the season and I only came for the hike to the waterfall. read more

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Campground was closed for the season but we were here for the waterfall. The campground does have nice flat sectioned off area to put your tent. The hike to the waterfall is downhill 99% of the way which means a pretty strenuous uphill hike on the way back. There is a couple of steep stairways along the way and some muddy areas. We always hike with a walking stick, and that came in real handy. The trip was well worth the fall. A bridge with a bench goes over the creek in front of the falls that gives a nice up close view or as some people did, climb the rocky outcropping to a ledge just in front of main fall. We returned the same way we came in as going around to top would have been a more strenuous and longer trip. read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Hiking Near Me

Crabtree Falls, off the Blue Ridge Parkway is a gorgeous North Carolina attraction for all kinds of nature lovers. If using Google maps, do NOT look for "Crabtree Falls" as it will misguide you. Use "Crabtree Falls Campground" and make sure it is the Blue Ridge parkway address. The campground has bathrooms which are clean and a good first-stop before you begin your hike. There are two trails- A and B. A is slightly easier than B so go with A. It takes approximately 3 miles total to hike on rocky grounds, muddy and sometimes-flat trail. Dogs on leash are welcome and kids/adults of all ages came. This is not wheelchair accessible with several rocky areas to maneuver through. My opinion is that it is a longer walk, but a moderate hike. You come across a stunning Falls at the end with a viewing bridge. We have a rather daredevil group (sans me) that went into the rocks to touch the falls as close as they could. This is such a beautiful attraction that we can't wait to come back to do this hike! read more

Crabtree Falls is a solid waterfall and hike. I loved the drive there because coming from Asheville you have the option of taking the slightlyyy longer route and driving the Blue Ridge Parkway - do it, no questions asked, no matter the season it's a beautiful drive, just as long as it's not pouring and you can't see anything. The hike and waterfall themselves are average in my opinion - maybe I went to too many waterfalls in Iceland and set my standards too high lol. The hike is about 30 minutes and not too strenuous and the waterfall itself is not too large but worth a visit. If you want a challenge, don't follow the same path you took down to the waterfall back up, continue on and it's more of a strenuous hike back up since the path acts as a loop. read more

Opt for the longer loop- it's less strenuous and it's a prettier hike. You get to walk along the creek for most of it. The shorter path has a steeper decline but it's very rocky, not the easiest to navigate. The longer path has some declines, some inclines, some flat parts but, overall, the path is flatter without lots of rocks to be stepping on and around. We've been to several waterfalls in the areas west of Asheville and this one is by far the most spectacular! It's huge and has a strong rush! Our (almost) 6-year old and (almost) 8-year-old we're able to do this whole hike (the full loop) without complaining of getting tired or needing to be carried. However, there were several sections where we held tight to their hands due to very steep fall-offs on the side. read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Stunning! - Hiking Near Me

A nice, moderately strenuous hike to a very pretty waterfall. The hike is mostly downhill on the way out and will probably take between 20 and 45 minutes, one-way, depending on how fast you go. If you keep going past the waterfall you'll loop back on a less strenuous climb out. The waterfall itself is very pretty (7 out of 10) and worth the hike. Positives: Moderate hike so you will get some exercise, pretty woodland waterfall. Negatives: Limited scenic views on the hike. read more

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Very nice trail down to wooden bridge just below falls. A more rugged return trail goes past top of fall and back to parking in the NC State owned campground. Very picturesque older growth woodlands and extremely clean, cold water. A great afternoon outing for whole family read more

Crabtree Falls Campground - Crabtree Falls - Hiking Near Me

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